I get killed by mosquitoes here.

Move away from the swamp.
I never see con muỗi.
Living near Trần Phú in Q5, 5th floor.
Outside just doves, swifts, and bats; inside occasional wall lizard.

I don't live in the swamp.  Live on the 17th floor in Tan Phu.  By the way, ROBOTECH.

How about you put out the light when you open the windows.

Or do you always have the windows open because you don't have air conditioning?

I never open the windows and always use a/c.  I'm just one of those people who attract them.

yamcha wrote:

I never open the windows and always use a/c.  I'm just one of those people who attract them.

That usually is me back home in the states but I can't recall getting bitten since I got here in January.  I have no idea why.

yamcha wrote:

I could use the repellants but they are a pain in the ass and I always forget.

Yeah?

Maybe get over that?

I've found a natural garlic onion spray that works even better after I added citronella oil.

I also wear long white linen drawstring pants all the time, except when on the beach for swimming.

So I only need to remember to spray the mixture on my hands and apply to my bald head, face and neck and arms.

At night I spray the tops of my feet and my ankles too.

Every few days I forget part of that, I pay for my mistake, and I get better at remembering this is my new normal.

Thanks but I am not going put garlic and onions on myself and I don't need the drawstring pants since they don't fly up there.

I'm not bald either.

Get a few handhold electric mosquito zappers and use them around the house. You can use the light to attract them, and then switch to the electric mode.

Just to let you know, the light doesn't attract mosquitos, they are attracted by carbon and heat and probably other things but not light.  If light worked then they would have a mosquito killer using light such as the ones used to kill flies.

From NBC News:

Why some people are mosquito magnets
by CARI NIERENBERG

Some folks seem to be magnets for mosquitoes, while others rarely get bitten. What makes the little buggers single you out and not the guy or gal you're standing next to at the Memorial Day backyard barbecue?

The two most important reasons a mosquito is attracted to you have to do with sight and smell, says Jonathan Day, a professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida in Vero Beach. Lab studies suggest that 20 percent of people are high attractor types, he says.

Mosquitoes are highly visual, especially later in the afternoon, and their first mode of search for humans is through vision, explains Day. People dressed in dark colors -- black, navy blue, red -- stand out and movement is another cue.

Once the mosquito keys in on a promising visual target, she (and it's always "she" -- only the ladies bite) then picks up on smell. The main attractor is your rate of carbon dioxide production with every exhale you take.

Those with higher metabolic rates produce more carbon dioxide, as do larger people and pregnant women. Although carbon dioxide is the primary attractant, other secondary smells coming from your skin or breath mark you as a good landing spot.

Lactic acid (given off while exercising), acetone (a chemical released in your breath), and estradiol (a breakdown product of estrogen) can all be released at varying concentrations and lure in mosquitoes, says Day. Your body temperature, or warmth, can also make a difference. Mosquitoes may flock to pregnant women because of their extra body heat.

But with more than 350 compounds isolated from odors produced by human skin, researchers have barely scratched the surface behind a mosquito's preference for certain people, says Joseph Conlon, a medical entomologist and the technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association.

Although it may all boil down to human odor and genetics -- studies of twins have revealed they tend to be attractive or repellant to mosquitoes in the same measure -- it's more complicated than that, suggests Conlon.

He says the latest thinking is that it might not be about what makes people more attractive to mosquitoes, but what makes them not as repellant. It could be that individuals who get less bites produce chemicals on their skin that make them more repellant and cover up smells that mosquitoes find attractive.

Mosquitoes don't bite you for food, since they feed off plant nectar, Conlon explains. Females suck your blood to get a protein needed to develop their eggs, which can then send more pesky insects into the world to annoy you.

But keep this in mind when you're outdoors this summer: Mosquitoes are more attracted to people after they drink a 12-ounce beer. It could be that people breathe a little harder after a cold one or their skin is a little warmer, suggests Conlon. But that won't stop him from having a brewski, even though he considers himself a mosquito magnet.

Here are more fun facts about mosquitoes and bites provided by our experts:

Eating bananas will not attract mosquitoes and taking vitamin B-12 will not repel them; these are old wives' tales.
Some mosquito species are leg and ankle biters; they cue into the stinky smell of bacteria on your feet.
Other species prefer the head, neck and arms perhaps because of the warmth, smells emitted by your skin, and closeness to carbon dioxide released by your mouth.
The size of a mosquito bite welt has nothing to do with the amount of blood taken and everything to do with how your immune system responds to the saliva introduced by the mosquito into your skin.
The more times you get bitten by a particular species of mosquito, the less most people react to that species over time. The bad news? There's more than 3,000 species worldwide.

B-12 isn't the right vitamin, it's B-1.

Spent my late 20s and most of my 30s as an alcoholic, nothing bit me, or if it did it dropped right off again. Been sober a long time now, so I smoke a bit more in bug country, bloodsuckers hate it.

So, a bottle of good whiskey and a pack of cigarettes a day, you'll be peachy.

You sound just like me.  I didn't get sober with AA or nothing and I still drink a bit but nothing like the good old days.  I couldn't go a day without booze.   They drink like maniacs here.  Beer devils.

Perhaps you need to wear the loose-fitting ao ba trang as does OB.
OB is right-on,

I loved walking about Da Lat.
I bought a bunch of strawberries and gave them to my SO's housekeeper.
I also gave her 5000000 vnd
She was no help whatsoever.
bitch

Next time I go to VN I will have insurance to Thailand or to get me to the US.
I still have a big hole in my back.

The hell?

@Jim Minh: That last post was out of character for you.  I hope it's an allusion to something else.  Please let us in on it.

Bad news. You're not being bitten by mosquitoes. They're no-see-ums, or midges as they say in Europe and Australia. I'm probably the only person you will encounter who knows about these damn bugs, and it took me at least a year to figure it out because no one else had the same problem. I've never met anyone else who got bitten, but through google in English I had read about 3 others in Vietnam in the past, about 5 in Bangkok, and 16 in Hong Kong. It really is an unfortunate recessive trait and very rare.

The key to diagnosis is being bitten inside and out. The no-see-ums are in every cubic inch of airspace in Asia. That includes inside planes, buses, trains, restaurants, gyms, apartment buildings at any height (I once lived on the 43rd floor and they came rushing through any open window).

It makes no difference where you live or how high or how new or how modern. (Although the older the building the worse the interior infestation because Asians do not remove the nests which are everywhere. Houses are much worse than apartments usually because they're older. The apartment building must have an air conditioned lobby where they never leave the front doors open, and the hallways cannot have windows that can be opened on each end.)

The way they are getting into your apartment is primarily through the air conditioners. You can clear a room, turn it on, and test that. The second way is through your front door jamb to the hallway.

What can you do about that? Four things.

Use a blunt knife and stuff plastic bags into the seams of your front door, inside when you get home, outside when you leave. Make sure they're stuffed very tightly with no airspace.

Use DEET repellent. The Soffel brand - different names in different countries but recognizably same design - works about as well as any other and is the cheapest. You will have to reapply it every 15 to 30 minutes. Day in and day out. Yes, it's probably carcinogenic but whaddaya gonna do. Funnily enough, no see ums here seem to prefer biting the areas of your body which are in clothes but not covered in repellent. So you can wear shorts or t's as long as your body is covered with repellent.

Some people swear by Picardin instead of DEET. I didn't find Picardin worked at all for me. They don't sell Picardin in Asia so you have to ship it in via Amazon.  The various herbals don't work at all except lemongrass repellent and clove oil, and the smell is so awful and penetrates everything you own --- and then in about one or two days the bugs overcome their resistance and they no longer work. But your stuff still smells.

Check your apartment for nests daily. They can put one up overnight. They start at ceiling level and work their way down. Eventually you may find them on the floors next to the walls. You have to get rid of the nest immediately, and that doesn't mean into your apartment trash. Tossing them out the window is counter-productive. 

The fourth is electric mosquito bats. You have to charge them for a full day before first use. There's a huge discrepancy between brands and even between rackets of the same type and brand. One will work, 10 won't, and you won't know which is which until you've brought them home and charged them. No, they are not returnable. Best prices are at the large local markets. Bring a ball point pen with you. Turn on the racket and touch the metal nub to the grid. If it doesn't give off a loud pop immediately, that racket will never charge enough for no see ums. Rackets that are charged enough for mosquitoes don't necessarily work with no see ums. When you are waving them around and you hit something, which happens almost every time, they stop working for good. If they are working, which is your best case scenario, they will stop working after about the third or fourth time after recharging. Expect to go through hundreds of rackets a year, or even every month.

I find the nets problematic. You can find bed nets in Asia with tiny holes or holes that are lightly filled in which are designed for no see ums. The problem is these bugs - and there are about 5-10 different ones (colors, size, bite) floating around your space at any time - can be so tiny. The littlest ones will crawl through the netting and then they will sting you relentlessly hundreds of times a minute. The bed net tent is an absolute horror show. You tape the bottom flaps to your sheet and the next morning the tape will be covered with bug carcasses.

The only traps that attract no see ums use only carbon dioxide. They have to be used out of doors because they will attract bugs for miles. The ones that purport to be usable indoors don't work at all. I've tried a dozen brands.

You're not imagining that things get worse. The breeding females have a painful bite. After they've successfully fed, they emit a pheromone that signals other breeding females to come get a blood meal. So after one bites you painfully, you know an onslaught is coming. All you can do is get new rackets or evacuate.

Is there anything you can do? No. There is not. Every once in a while you will realize that you've had 5 minutes, even 30 minutes at a fancy restaurant, where you haven't been bitten and you remember what life used to be like. I'm sorry, but there is no safe spot for you anywhere in Asia. I've traveled in search of one and it doesn't exist. Actually, I don't know if that's true about Japan. Bangkok is probably the least buggy place - Chiangmai and Nha Trang the worst - because so many of the buildings are new and aren't infested with the nests the Asians ignore. How can you clean an apartment and leave bug nests on the walls or hanging from the ceiling or shelves? Mind boggling.

I don't smoke so I don't know if tobacco smoke clears them. I did recently read of an experiment where they dressed a horse in zebra fabric. The no see ums stopped biting anywhere on the body where the fabric was, although they did bounce off, and they did bite the uncovered head.  Zebra pajamas?

Summer is the least buggy time in Asia by far. They seem not to like high heat. So there's a sweet short hiatus around July.

I've made my peace with it as much as can be done. I've found that the least buggy spots in Bangkok are in the basement restaurants in brand new shopping malls. The upper floors are a nightmare. And I spend a fortune on racket replenishing. It would be cheaper to live in the USA.

BUT - for a final horror show, because the bugs bite you, they are also nesting in your clothes and your shoes and your things. You cannot bring a single thing from Asia back to the USA or you are infesting your home back there (or your friends' or relatives' homes or some poor person's airbnb). It doesn't matter how much you wash things or bleach them or leave them in the sun. Don't make excuses for one item or another. Nothing.

Sorry. For me and for you.

Cover up is easiest. Wear pants, socks and shoes if you are near rice fields and vegetation. Pack a loose light long sleeved shirt and some pants for evenings. Not more than 3 bites in the past 2 months and normally they eat me alive. Can't bite you through your clothes and then no worries about smelling like repellents.

Jenlynn81 wrote:

Cover up is easiest. Wear pants, socks and shoes if you are near rice fields and vegetation. Pack a loose light long sleeved shirt and some pants for evenings. Not more than 3 bites in the past 2 months and normally they eat me alive. Can't bite you through your clothes and then no worries about smelling like repellents.

Yes, they can bite you through thin, tight clothing. So I'd add "loose fitting" to your good suggestions. That's why I previously mentioned drawstring pants, as they tend to be a bit looser than belted pants.

If tight clothing is preferred, treat the cloth with the repellent. Experienced hunters protect themselves from ticks that way.

New and improved wrote:

Bad news. You're not being bitten by mosquitoes. They're no-see-ums, or midges as they say in Europe and Australia. I'm probably the only person you will encounter who knows about these damn bugs, and it took me at least a year to figure it out because no one else had the same problem. I've never met anyone else who got bitten, but through google in English I had read about 3 others in Vietnam in the past, about 5 in Bangkok, and 16 in Hong Kong. It really is an unfortunate recessive trait and very rare.

The key to diagnosis is being bitten inside and out. The no-see-ums are in every cubic inch of airspace in Asia. That includes inside planes, buses, trains, restaurants, gyms, apartment buildings at any height (I once lived on the 43rd floor and they came rushing through any open window).

It makes no difference where you live or how high or how new or how modern. (Although the older the building the worse the interior infestation because Asians do not remove the nests which are everywhere. Houses are much worse than apartments usually because they're older. The apartment building must have an air conditioned lobby where they never leave the front doors open, and the hallways cannot have windows that can be opened on each end.)

The way they are getting into your apartment is primarily through the air conditioners. You can clear a room, turn it on, and test that. The second way is through your front door jamb to the hallway.

What can you do about that? Four things.

Use a blunt knife and stuff plastic bags into the seams of your front door, inside when you get home, outside when you leave. Make sure they're stuffed very tightly with no airspace.

Use DEET repellent. The Soffel brand - different names in different countries but recognizably same design - works about as well as any other and is the cheapest. You will have to reapply it every 15 to 30 minutes. Day in and day out. Yes, it's probably carcinogenic but whaddaya gonna do. Funnily enough, no see ums here seem to prefer biting the areas of your body which are in clothes but not covered in repellent. So you can wear shorts or t's as long as your body is covered with repellent.

Some people swear by Picardin instead of DEET. I didn't find Picardin worked at all for me. They don't sell Picardin in Asia so you have to ship it in via Amazon.  The various herbals don't work at all except lemongrass repellent and clove oil, and the smell is so awful and penetrates everything you own --- and then in about one or two days the bugs overcome their resistance and they no longer work. But your stuff still smells.

Check your apartment for nests daily. They can put one up overnight. They start at ceiling level and work their way down. Eventually you may find them on the floors next to the walls. You have to get rid of the nest immediately, and that doesn't mean into your apartment trash. Tossing them out the window is counter-productive. 

The fourth is electric mosquito bats. You have to charge them for a full day before first use. There's a huge discrepancy between brands and even between rackets of the same type and brand. One will work, 10 won't, and you won't know which is which until you've brought them home and charged them. No, they are not returnable. Best prices are at the large local markets. Bring a ball point pen with you. Turn on the racket and touch the metal nub to the grid. If it doesn't give off a loud pop immediately, that racket will never charge enough for no see ums. Rackets that are charged enough for mosquitoes don't necessarily work with no see ums. When you are waving them around and you hit something, which happens almost every time, they stop working for good. If they are working, which is your best case scenario, they will stop working after about the third or fourth time after recharging. Expect to go through hundreds of rackets a year, or even every month.

I find the nets problematic. You can find bed nets in Asia with tiny holes or holes that are lightly filled in which are designed for no see ums. The problem is these bugs - and there are about 5-10 different ones (colors, size, bite) floating around your space at any time - can be so tiny. The littlest ones will crawl through the netting and then they will sting you relentlessly hundreds of times a minute. The bed net tent is an absolute horror show. You tape the bottom flaps to your sheet and the next morning the tape will be covered with bug carcasses.

The only traps that attract no see ums use only carbon dioxide. They have to be used out of doors because they will attract bugs for miles. The ones that purport to be usable indoors don't work at all. I've tried a dozen brands.

You're not imagining that things get worse. The breeding females have a painful bite. After they've successfully fed, they emit a pheromone that signals other breeding females to come get a blood meal. So after one bites you painfully, you know an onslaught is coming. All you can do is get new rackets or evacuate.

Is there anything you can do? No. There is not. Every once in a while you will realize that you've had 5 minutes, even 30 minutes at a fancy restaurant, where you haven't been bitten and you remember what life used to be like. I'm sorry, but there is no safe spot for you anywhere in Asia. I've traveled in search of one and it doesn't exist. Actually, I don't know if that's true about Japan. Bangkok is probably the least buggy place - Chiangmai and Nha Trang the worst - because so many of the buildings are new and aren't infested with the nests the Asians ignore. How can you clean an apartment and leave bug nests on the walls or hanging from the ceiling or shelves? Mind boggling.

I don't smoke so I don't know if tobacco smoke clears them. I did recently read of an experiment where they dressed a horse in zebra fabric. The no see ums stopped biting anywhere on the body where the fabric was, although they did bounce off, and they did bite the uncovered head.  Zebra pajamas?

Summer is the least buggy time in Asia by far. They seem not to like high heat. So there's a sweet short hiatus around July.

I've made my peace with it as much as can be done. I've found that the least buggy spots in Bangkok are in the basement restaurants in brand new shopping malls. The upper floors are a nightmare. And I spend a fortune on racket replenishing. It would be cheaper to live in the USA.

BUT - for a final horror show, because the bugs bite you, they are also nesting in your clothes and your shoes and your things. You cannot bring a single thing from Asia back to the USA or you are infesting your home back there (or your friends' or relatives' homes or some poor person's airbnb). It doesn't matter how much you wash things or bleach them or leave them in the sun. Don't make excuses for one item or another. Nothing.

Sorry. For me and for you.

I would like to buy the movie rights to your post.

I pictured Kramer (actor Michael Richards) from Seinfeld telling your story as only he can.

Seriously, an apocalyptic comedy!

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Jenlynn81 wrote:

Cover up is easiest. Wear pants, socks and shoes if you are near rice fields and vegetation. Pack a loose light long sleeved shirt and some pants for evenings. Not more than 3 bites in the past 2 months and normally they eat me alive. Can't bite you through your clothes and then no worries about smelling like repellents.

Yes, they can bite you through thin, tight clothing. So I'd add "loose fitting" to your good suggestions. That's why I previously mentioned drawstring pants, as they tend to be a bit looser than belted pants.

If tight clothing is preferred, treat the cloth with the repellent. Experienced hunters protect themselves from ticks that way.

You can treat your clothing with permethrin or you can buy clothing pre-treated. It is odorless and non-toxic if used properly. Permethrin Spray can last up to six weeks including through six weekly washings.


Clothing, shoes, bed nets, and camping gear can be treated with a pesticide called permethrin to kill or repel insects such as mosquitoes and ticks. Clothing and other products can be purchased pre-treated, or products can be treated using EPA-registered products. The U.S. Military has been using permethrin to treat combat uniforms for over 20 years to protect soldiers from diseases carried by insects.

Permethrin is the only pesticide approved by the EPA for these uses. When it is applied properly, permethrin binds tightly to the fabrics, resulting in little loss during washing and minimal transfer to the skin. Permethrin is poorly absorbed through the skin, although sunscreens and other products may increase the rate of skin absorption.

http://npic.orst.edu/pest/mosquito/ptc.htmlhttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=permethrin+s … _ss_i_4_10

Jenlyn, you are talking about mosquitoes. Midges can bite you through any thickness of clothes because the smallest ones can crawl through. They can bite you through layers of heavy jeans.  Midge behavior and capabilities has nothing to do with everything you know about mosquitoes. It makes no difference in Asia whether or not you are near water or swamps or live like David the Bubble Boy, midges can bite you. They are in every cubic inch of air in Asia, inside and out. Nothing you have said applies.

Jiim-Minh, you are talking about mosquitoes. Midges can bite you through any thickness of clothes because the smallest ones can crawl through. They can bite you through layers of heavy jeans.  They are not deterred by pyrethrin. Midge behavior and capabilities has nothing to do with everything you know about mosquitoes. It makes no difference in Asia whether or not you are near water or swamps or live like David the Bubble Boy, midges can bite you. They are in every cubic inch of air in Asia, inside and out. Nothing you have said applies.

YOU, OceanBeach, on the other hand, should feel free to chime in. I'm glad someone sees the humor in this.

I've found that midges bite me through tight clothing of any thickness, and fly up loose clothing of any thickness. If I am wearing enough clothes that it irritates them to have to go to all that work, they bite me through the hair on my head. As for chemical deterrents, sometimes they bite me through the repellent as I'm applying it. A big enough glob and you can watch them drown in it right in front of you. Just for "fun," sometimes I'll apply a really thick layer of Vaseline and catch dozens. Problem with that, other than I am behaving like one very sick puppy, is that Vaseline either absorbs or aerates because the layer soon diminishes and stops being a barrier.

After more experimentation than Madame Curie, I've isolated the variables that work: live in the right building, kill them at home  with electric rackets, wear a very recent layer of DEET, spend as much time as possible in crowds, basements are the best locations. Other than that, it's damn the torpedoes.

I do wonder about cigar smoke. I don't smoke but I think a fine cigar is a heavenly smell. But it seems to drive away all other humans. A control experiment is in order if I can find someone with some Havanas. Only problem if it works is that you can't smoke indoors anymore. And if I lived outside with the "tarp people," the smoke gets too aerated. So it's kind of moot. But yes, that does seem like a Kramer-ism.

Permethrin does provide protection from midges, in fact, it kills them - Google it.

The Longest Midges Bite Protection – Sawyer Permethrin Repellent for Cloth.

Although Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent is more expensive than other repellents, it provides protection for up to 6 weeks. This versatile repellent promises to deal with ticks, chiggers, mites, mosquitoes and 55 other insect species, making it an ideal option both for a camping weekend, and for longer outings. Moreover, it not only repels insects, but also kills them.

Its active ingredient, permethrin is registered for use by the U.S EPA, but just in case, keep the spray away from cats as it can adversely affect their nervous system. The spray has been helpful in protection of people from midges for many years: Sawyer Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent has been exclusively used for treating uniforms for the US and Canadian militaries for almost 30 years. Ordinary users also note that this insect repellent is ready to confront “TONS of gnats and mosquitoes” even in field conditions. They also recommend that special attention should be given to using it on hats, if you do not want to suffer from having your face bitten.

The repellent is applied right on your clothes and continues its action even after the wash (can be washed 6 times). Unlike DEET, which can damage certain fabrics and materials, permethrin can be used even for such fabrics as silk, as well as synthetic and waterproof fabrics (it does not affect plastic or decorative elements). That is why it can be sprayed not only on clothes, but also on the external side of the tent, backpacks, hammocks, outdoor furniture and mosquito nets. Keep going for about 30 seconds on each side. Asthmatics need to use the product with caution indoors.

Well, being female and wearing mostly tight clothes, LOL, I still have not been bitten in the past two months by simply wearing long sleeves and long pants. Perhaps Hoi An midges are less hungry...

Repeat: so far there are only two people, the OP and myself, who are bitten by these bugs currently in all of Asia. Your experience has zero applicability to what the OP and I are experiencing. The suggestions given so far apply to what "normal" people might use to deter bugs. They do not apply to the OP and myself.

I doubt we're the "Bug Messiah." But I do know that I wrote the long missive above for the OP because everything else anyone else said would be useless in his situation.

I sympathize with your frustration in wanting to offer help because it really is impossible to understand or empathize with two people who are the exception to the universal rule. I would happily give anything to be able to opt out of the two.

Bottom line for OP: control your environment because you can't control the bugs.

New and improved wrote:

Repeat: so far there are only two people, the OP and myself, who are bitten by these bugs currently in all of Asia. Your experience has zero applicability to what the OP and I are experiencing. The suggestions given so far apply to what "normal" people might use to deter bugs. They do not apply to the OP and myself.

I doubt we're the "Bug Messiah." But I do know that I wrote the long missive above for the OP because everything else anyone else said would be useless in his situation.

I sympathize with your frustration in wanting to offer help because it really is impossible to understand or empathize with two people who are the exception to the universal rule. I would happily give anything to be able to opt out of the two.

I've seen these before and they bite sometimes. I hear that Lemon essential oil will keep the buzzards away, it worked for a friend of mine. You can find it online or in a shop in one of the malls like Vivo City.

It's also natural so you won't get negative side effects.

The bugs used to bite me all the time, non stop, like crazy.

Then my doctor got me back on 'my meds' and they stopped...

Jenlynn81 wrote:

Well, being female and wearing mostly tight clothes, LOL, I still have not been bitten in the past two months by simply wearing long sleeves and long pants. Perhaps Hoi An midges are less hungry...

It's a well-known 'fact' that Hội An midges are so sophisticated that they will not bother foreigners, as that would hurt the town's progressive reputation.

Down the coast, however, where I am (in Tam Kỳ) a rival order of bugs (the SOB's) will steal your dog if you aren't careful...

A friend in Thailand bought a large UV light with high voltage "grill". They get attracted, then fried. Works beautifully indoors.

One day, you may get Denghe Fever. A friend in his early 50s had had top medical insurance when he contracted it and later died at an expensive private hospital. (Hope this may motivate you to take repellant).

wildwildwest wrote:

I've seen these before and they bite sometimes. I hear that Lemon essential oil will keep the buzzards away, it worked for a friend of mine. You can find it online or in a shop in one of the malls like Vivo City.

It's also natural so you won't get negative side effects.

Be careful using lemon EO.  Steam distilled oil is safe enough, but cold pressed and undiluted lemon oil more than likely will cause phototoxic reactions.  If you cannot find steam distilled lemon oil, make sure to dilute it with a carrier oil to 2% (2% lemon EO, 98% carrier oil).

Examples of carrier oil:  coconut, jojoba, olive, avocado, argan, sunflower, sweet almond, apricot, etc.  You can also use aloe vera in place of carrier oil.

Ciambella wrote:

wildwildwest wrote:

I've seen these before and they bite sometimes. I hear that Lemon essential oil will keep the buzzards away, it worked for a friend of mine. You can find it online or in a shop in one of the malls like Vivo City.

It's also natural so you won't get negative side effects.

Be careful using lemon EO.  Steam distilled oil is safe enough, but cold pressed lemon oil more than likely will cause phototoxic reactions.  If you cannot find steam distilled lemon oil, make sure to dilute it with a steam pressed carrier oil to 2% (2% lemon EO, 98% carrier oil).

Examples of carrier oil:  coconut, jojoba, olive, avocado, argan, sunflower, sweet almond, apricot, etc.  You can also use aloe vera in place of carrier oil.

Wow, cool to know. Do you know where I could get steam distilled oils in HCMC?

wildwildwest wrote:

Do you know where I could get steam distilled oils in HCMC?

I brought all my EOs (60+ bottles) from the States so haven't needed to buy any oil here yet.  I've seen many places that sell EOs in Saigon, but as I haven't run out of my supply, I didn't pay attention to any of them. 

The label on the bottle should show the method of extraction.  Steam distilled is "chưng cất hơi nước" while cold pressed is "ép lạnh".

I did a quick search and found this site that sells 10 ml steam distilled lemon EO for 80K.  That's a very good price. 

This site sells lemon oil (also steam distilled) from NOW, a good manufacturer of EOs in the States, at 230K for 30 ml, which is still a decent price.  However, when buying EO, you should alway chose the smallest bottle unless you know you'll use it up quickly.  It would take a very long time to finish a 30 ml of lemon oil.

Robert Tisserand, perhaps the world leading expert in aromatherapy, wrote that citrus EO should be diluted when used topically (no matter from which method of extraction it arrived), just to be on the safe side.

Thanks for your wisdom, Ciambella.